The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-06-18
FAMOUS ENGLISH DUELS.
Pail Mall Gazette.


 When an officer was wounded ill a duel 1t was represented to the author ities-although every man in the corps knew otherwise-that he had sprained his ankle or broken his leg, and when one of the combatants fell it was put down to disease-at home apoplexy, abroad cholera or fever. Mir. Douglass mentions several instances of duelists escaping death by the bullets being stopped or deflected by the brass but tons so much worn by our grandfath- ers. When Captain Cuthbert, of the Guards, and Lord Lonsdale fought in l7S2 two shots were fired by each without injury to either, but Lord Lonsdale's last shot would probably :: have been fatal if the bullet had not struck button on Captain Cuth- ! bert's coat.
 An even more wonderful affair , happened in 17S7, when a French of . ficer having said in an unguarded moment "that the English army had more phlegm than spirit" he was soon after challenged by an English officer, Captain S., of the Eleventh regiment of foot, for having made use of these words. As the Chevalier la - refused either to apologize for or with draw the expression, a duel took place; and the offense was considered by the Briton to be of so deadly a kind-or, rather, one which nothing but the death of the utterer could ex- tenuate-that he insisted upon fight ing at five paces. If the two arms and two pistols are taken into account, this short distance was, of course, much reduced, so that apparently neither had chance of escaping. Seemingly they had tossed, or done something else, for "first fire," which the Englishman won, and Captain S-'s ball "took place" as might be expected, on the chevalier's breast, but, by marvel of luck, it was stopped by metal button. The cavalier, touched by so providential an escape, magnan- imously fired in the air, and did not stop at that, but made full apology by stating that the English have both spirit and phlegm.
 We read elsewhere of another duel- ist picking mp on his way to the place of meeting horseshoe, which, for "luck," he placed inside his coat over his heart, and that the bullet happening to strike there, the horse shoe saved his life. General Bonnet, in his duel with General Ornani, in Paris, in 1841, owed his life to having POO franc piece in his waistcoat pocket.
 Several letters refiecting on the character of a lady having been pub lished in the Morning Post in l777, Captain Stoney, celebrated buck of the day, challenged the editor, the Rev. Mr. Bate, on the understanding that there were to be no seconds.
 They met in room, and locking the door, took up their positions. Having discharged their pistols with out effect, they threw these on the ground and drawing their swords at tackled each other resolutely, the re- suit being that MT. Bate was wounded in the thigh and Captain Stoney in the arm and breast. By this time people were hammering at the door oi the room, trying to open it, but the swordsmen were too intent on their work to attend, and the conclusion would have been fatal to one or both but for an incident which occurred in the combat. This was owing to the bending of the blade of MT. Bates sword, which was caused by the point meeting the captains breast bone. Or MT. Bate apprising his opponent ot this, Captain Stoney called upon him to straighten it, and in the interim while Mir. Bate had his sword under his foot for that purpose, the dool was broken open; otherwise, as re. marked, the death of one or both o the parties might have ensued. Or the Saturday following, Captain StoAey married the lady whom h, had thus defended at the hazard o his life.
 There was Frenchman who boasteC of having billed a dozen English off. cers and promised to go on in thi, work. One evening he swaggered a. usual into his cafe and, to his astonish. ment, actually saw one of those hated "Anglais" occupying his chair, chail that no one hitherto had dared to sit upon but himself. Mastering his pas sion, he undid his sword belt, and having placed his sword on one side began to insult tho perfectly inoffen sive English officer, who sat so uncon scious-looking in his (the French man's) chair. He trod upon tn, English toes he deprived the English man of his candles; he went from on thing on to another without at al being able in the least, apparently, t. disturb the others placidity. At las he snatched the newspaper out of tn, Englishman's hand, and then tn Briton slowly rose up, displaying t,